


Love Always Wakes the Dragon

by alistoney



Series: Rewatch codas [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: 1x09 fic, Angst, Instrospection, M/M, Realizations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 15:48:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29903409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alistoney/pseuds/alistoney
Summary: Magnus faces the depth of his feelings for Alec.Or the warlock TLC scene from Magnus’ pov
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: Rewatch codas [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2123532
Comments: 18
Kudos: 63
Collections: 5 Years of Shadowhunters Coda Event





	Love Always Wakes the Dragon

**Author's Note:**

> I finally wrote words lol! I hope you enjoy them.

Magnus leisurely walks through the doors of the Institute for the second time after avoiding it for almost a decade. The last time he’d regularly gone to the Institute had been when he’d redone their wards for them sometime after the Uprising. Since then, Magnus had purposely avoided the Shadowhunters if he could help it. Eventually they’d gotten the message and left him alone for the most part. 

That is, until Clary Fray showed up. 

And now, well, perhaps Magnus isn’t all that annoyed by the excuses to stop by the Institute. He pretends it has nothing to do with a certain Shadowhunter that had fallen asleep on his couch only a few days ago. 

The ops center is bustling with Shadowhunters. Magnus scans the people for a familiar tall form until he lands on Alec standing on the walkway with his father. 

Alec is dressed in a black tank that shows off his arms and that has Magnus’ lips curving up into a satisfied smirk. That is, until Alec turns and Magnus sees the gash on his arm. The thing is deep and ugly and  _ unhealed _ by an iratze. A forsaken wound. 

He falters for a second. When he had been contacted by the Institute he’d been told that there had been a forsaken attack. But Magnus hadn’t considered that  _ Alec _ might have gotten hurt during the attack. 

He shouldn’t be worried over a Shadowhunter he just met. Especially not when Alec is standing across the room as physical proof that he’s fine. 

But despite everything, Magnus cares about Alec. Much more than he’d originally planned to. It’s something he had realized when Alec had come and helped with Luke. 

The way he’d so readily shared his strength with Magnus. His arms strong around him when Magnus had fallen. The unintentional seductive glances from under his eyelashes as Magnus had poured him drink after drink. The giggles Magnus had been able to coax out of him in the earliest hours of the morning. 

Magnus had tried in vain to push it away. Alec is closeted and a  _ Shadowhunter.  _ It would never end well. 

And yet here he is, worried as all hell that Alec is injured. Scared of what would have happened if it had been worse. If something had happened to him. 

He can’t deny it anymore. Magnus  _ likes _ Alec. Is possibly even falling for him. Nothing good is going to come from it, and yet Magnus can’t find it in himself to care. 

Izzy, who is sitting in front of a wall of screens, sees Magnus first. She smiles and joins him in the doorway. 

It’s not hard for her to follow his gaze across the room to Alec who is now faced the other way, speaking with his father. 

Izzy smirks at him slowly and all Magnus can do is roll his eyes at her. He hasn’t hidden his obvious interest in her brother since the beginning and he isn’t going to stop just because real feelings may suddenly be involved. Izzy doesn’t have to know that.

“He was injured during the forsaken attack,” Izzy says, nodding towards Alec. 

“I figured,” Magnus answers, eyes not leaving the long line of Alec’s back. 

Izzy is perceptive because the next thing she says is, “he’s going to be okay.” 

Magnus nods silently. 

Alec finally turns around and his eyes lock on Magnus. A small smile blooms on his face. One so very similar to the way he’d looked at Magnus in those early hours of the morning when he’d been unguarded and watching Magnus with wonder. Magnus feels like glass under his gaze. He wonders if everything he feels about Alec shows on his face. He’s not sure whether he  _ wants  _ Alec to see it or not. 

Alec looks away before Magnus can decide. Magnus takes a deep breath and tries to right his heart. He can’t be spilling his feelings all over the place, not here at the Institute. 

Izzy silently slips away when Robert Lightwood walks towards Magnus. Magnus tries to ignore the way Alec seems to be subtly watching the conversation as Robert gruffly explains what he wants Magnus to do. Shadowhunters, always demanding things instead of asking. 

After telling Magnus what needs to be done, Robert follows Magnus around the Institute as he redoes their wards. As if he thinks Magnus is going to sabotage the Institute or something equally as dastardly. Magnus has to stop himself from snapping at him more than once. 

It isn’t until Magnus is finished with the ops center and Alec hesitantly walks over that Robert finally leaves him alone. Perhaps he believes Alec will watch Magnus just as closely. He might be correct, but Magnus has the feeling Alec is watching him for entirely different reasons. 

Alec doesn’t say anything, just absently looks at where Magnus had fixed the wards. Like he wants to be in Magnus’ space but doesn’t quite have a reason why. The thought makes something flip in Magnus’ chest. 

While Alec pretends to inspect the wards, Magnus lets his gaze wander over Alec’s form and lands back on this arm where a bandage now covers the forsaken wound. 

“A forsaken wound often needs a little warlock TLC,” Magnus says, breaking the silence and stepping carefully into Alec’s space, “May I? Free of charge.” 

He doesn’t know exactly why he says it. Maybe he wants an excuse to stay near Alec. Maybe the thought of Alec in pain makes something in Magnus’ heart sting. Maybe it’s a little bit of both. 

Alec steps away from him, startled. “It’s okay. I’m fine.” 

Alec searches the ops center. Panic evident on his face as he makes sure no had seen Magnus step into his space. Magnus’ heart breaks for him. 

“If anything were to happen to you—“

“Magnus, I’m  _ fine _ . I’m good.”

Magnus sighs. It’s obvious he’s not fine but Magnus isn’t going to argue. 

Seeing Alec here at the Institute, Magnus is starting to understand. When they’d been alone in the loft, Alec had been open in the way he watched Magnus. Had easily let Magnus into his space even before he’d been drunk. Alec knows who he is and doesn’t seem to have trouble admitting it to himself. But he’s scared of what would happen if other people knew. Somehow Magnus almost thinks that’s worse. 

He quietly watches Alec retreat, heart aching for the way he seems to try and hide himself from everything around him.

Like he’d said. Nothing good would come out of this. But when has Magnus’ heart ever let that stop him? 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!! 
> 
> Comments and Kudos are greatly appreciated!!
> 
> You can find me here  
> Tumblr: [lightwormsiblings](https://lightwormsiblings.tumblr.com)  
> Twitter: [alistoney1](https://mobile.twitter.com/alistoney1)


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